Japan is doomed, since the return of the 3 large ships of the Beiyang Fleet, the outcome of this war has been decided, as an island country, the sea line of communication is not able to be maintained, how can there be anything to fight? It can be said that Japan at this time was already lying in a coffin. After accepting the battle off the Datong River, the Japanese navy was almost completely annihilated. It's already equivalent to putting a coffin lid on the Japanese. The British know this, the Beiyang high-level knows it, the Russians also know it, and even the Japanese are probably aware of it. I just don't want to admit it.

Then why did the Russians commit their precious cruiser fleet to confront the Beiyang Naval Division? The Russians had their own considerations, and Nicholas II wanted the Qing and Japanese countries to shed as much blood as possible in this war! Only in this way will the power vacuum in the Far East be greater, and Russia will have more hope of gaining greater benefits in the Far East. Based on this, the Russians invested 6 valuable cruisers in order to gain more benefits.

The idea is beautiful, but the reality is cruel. The Russians threw in almost 40,000 tons of warships, and they fought almost in just one battle. 2 ships sank, 1 surrendered, 2 seriously damaged. This battle is now unfought. Although the Qing Beiyang Naval Division suffered huge losses, its main force was not damaged. It is still firmly on the first naval throne in East Asia. Therefore, it is impossible to take advantage of the Qing Dynasty, but the Germans will never let go of the weak Japan. Since Japan after the defeat of the war could not use money to compensate Russia for its efforts, Russia had to take some land for compensation!

Russia's power in the Far East was also relatively limited. Therefore, the Russians planned to take the port of Muroran as the core, Hokkaido as the main battlefield, and the main purpose of controlling Hokkaido and the Karutsu Strait, and if necessary, they needed to fight parts of the island of Honshu. And for a country like Japan that does not declare war. The Russians will definitely not be polite, and the whole plan will be based on a sneak attack. Before Japan could react, the main part of Hokkaido was brought under Russian control.

Long before the start of Russian aid to Japan a few years ago. Russia's infiltration of Hokkaido has never stopped. The geography, social and cultural conditions of Hokkaido have been clearly understood by the Russians within a few years. Relatively speaking, Hokkaido is vast and sparsely populated, and most of it seems to the Russians to be no different from the wilderness. However, this also had the advantage that the focus of Japan's defense was not on Hokkaido, as can be seen from the fact that the 7th Division, which was originally stationed in Hokkaido, was defined by the Japanese army as a cantonment force.

In addition, the Russians also found an important situation, and that was that it was different from other places. In Hokkaido, there is a certain number of non-Yamato races - Ainu! And the latter was persecuted and killed by the Yamato people from outside, and is now in a disadvantaged position. This nation now seemed to the Russians to be a force that could be used for a short time. Therefore, from the time the Russians began to infiltrate, Russia gave them a certain amount of economic support. And now, it's time for military support.

And what is the current situation in Japan, I am afraid that no one knows better than the Russians, except for the Japanese. The current Qing-Japanese war far exceeded the Japanese side's estimates in terms of scale and time, and Japan's temporary increase in loans of 150 million yen at the beginning was simply not enough to consume the two huge gold-swallowing beasts of the navy and army. For this. On the one hand, the Japanese side continued to borrow money from Russia and the United States, and on the other hand, they stepped up the collection of resources from the country; in order to fight this war, the Japanese had already taken the last bundle of silk in the silk reeling factory to exchange ammunition, and at the same time filled the last grain of rice in the hands of the peasants into military rations. The enormous consumption has brought Japan's economy to the brink of collapse, and it is impossible to fight Russia again.

As for military power? The once mighty Japanese Navy has become a thing of the past, and now what is left of Japan? 3 old warships that need to be repaired but can't be repaired! And before the Russians came, the only Yokosuka shipyard in Japan that could be repaired had been beaten to ruins by the Beiyang Fleet. The remaining available ordnance made the Russians go to serve Rurik and other ships, so the Japanese navy had nothing to fear. …,

As for the Army? There is only one division in Japan to defend it, note that this one division is responsible for the defense of all the territory from Hokkaido to Shikoku Island, and the elite soldiers in this division who can really fight have long been dismantled and replaced with other divisions. As for armament? Japan's pre-war hoarding of resources had long since been exhausted by the protracted war, and Japan's weak industrial capacity could not meet the needs of the front.

At present, the fundamental driving force for Japan to continue fighting lies in the support of Russia and the United States, and some of the supplies of the United States are transported by Russian ships. So, the Russians basically controlled the supply of Japan on the front line, as long as everything was cut off. After the Japanese consumed the ammunition they carried, they were ready to fight bayonets!

So militarily speaking, the Russians have the upper hand. Although the Far Eastern Railway has not yet been repaired, the Russians said that after the previous stage of preparation, they still have no problem in transferring 20,000 to 30,000 troops in the Far East. And for the navy, which was crucial in this operation, the Russians also had an absolute advantage. Not to mention anything else, the remaining 3 half-crippled battleships are not something that the Japanese Navy can deal with, and in Vladivostok, the Russians have no big ships, but that doesn't mean there are no small boats!

So the Russians took a good look at their home in the Far East, in Vladivostok, the Russians also had a 6,200-ton Dmitry Donskoy armored cruiser, 6 inches of armor, a maximum output of 7,000 horsepower, and a maximum speed of 16.5 knots. (Of course, it can only run about 12 knots now, after all, it's an old ship from 1885.) But the firepower is not bad, 2 8-inch 30L guns and 14 6-inch 28L guns are still powerful enough, of course, this is a retreat gun, not a rapid-fire gun. However, it was enough to deal with the Japanese Navy.

In addition, there are 2 Vitiaz-class protective cruisers with a displacement of 3500 tons, an output of 3000 horsepower, and a maximum speed of 14.4 knots. (It is estimated that it is about 10 knots now) 10 6-inch 28L guns and 4 3.4-inch guns, this ship, which was originally unsightly in the Japanese army, is now an extremely terrifying existence for the dilapidated Japanese Navy.

In addition to these broken copper and iron used to scare people, the Russians also planned to add the two ships originally purchased from France to deal with the Beiyang Naval Division, and France did not agree to the Russians buying ships from themselves. After all, France also saw that in the Far East, France did not have the strength to confront the Beiyang Fleet, not to mention that there were still the British standing behind them! But if Russia and Beiyang reach an understanding and buy two ships from the French at a high price against the Japanese, it shouldn't be a big problem, right?

The rest was the Army, and as early as the beginning of the war, Russia had already received the right to garrison troops in the port of Muroran. In the name of guarding the port of Muroran, the Russians had a garrison of more than 3,000 troops there, and in the Russian lease scattered throughout Hokkaido, the Russians also had patrols dedicated to maintaining law and order, and hoarded a large number of weapons, and if necessary, they could even directly arm some civilians to deal with those hateful Japanese ronin.

And a large number of Russian troops will carry heavy weapons on ships to attack the strongholds of the Japanese army, and those ammunition and weapons that were originally used to support Japan will be used to fight the Japanese, in the current view, as long as the sea route is no problem, the Russian army, under the cover of the navy, sneak attack the Hokkaido region of Japan and gradually control the entire territory of Hokkaido and the vicinity of the Karatsu Strait The plan is still feasible, after all, Japan's defense focus is not in Hokkaido, and even worse, the Japanese even dismantled the fortress artillery in the Kamatsu Strait, It was used to strengthen the army's firepower, which invisibly helped the Russians a lot. …,

After analyzing and analyzing, Nicholas II and his ministers thought that Russia's strength in the Far East was sufficient to deal with the Japanese alone, but the problem was that now Russia and the Qing were also at war, and without first reaching an understanding with the Qing State, everything the Russians did was in a flash.

But how easy is it to reach an understanding? Both sides had already fought a battle, the Russian fleet suffered heavy losses, and the Beiyang fleet also paid a high price. And now, the Russian fleet is going to fish on the board. Once the Beiyang Fleet is rested, if the Russian fleet encounters it again, it is estimated that there is a danger of total annihilation, after all, the Russians do not have such a perfect maintenance and supply system in the Far East. At this time, the Russian fleet could not even guarantee the only speed that could save its life!

"I don't care what method you use, you must ensure the safety of Makanov's fleet, and at the same time ask Qing Guo to make an understanding with our country on the Japanese issue." Nicholas II said to Foreign Minister Lobanov.

"The crux of the problem is not the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, but the attitude of Li Hongzhang and Beiyang, once the Beiyang Fleet goes to sea again, even if it is understood, in the vast sea, I am afraid it will be difficult to pass it to the front-line combat fleet, even if the Beiyang Fleet does not move, Li Hongzhang will not do it, even if a treaty is reached, it will be just a piece of waste paper. After all, General Makanov still dealt a big blow to the Beiyang Fleet, and Li Hongzhang may not be willing to agree easily. Lobanov said with some embarrassment.

"What does Li Hongzhang want?" Nicholas II asked.

"I feel that what he needs most is money, after all, Beiyang is also facing a serious financial crisis now, of course, this money must be directly given to Beiyang." Lobanov emphasized the last sentence.

"Listen, I don't care if you negotiate with the Qing government or with Li Hongzhang, the most important thing is to keep the Beiyang Fleet neutral, and I won't ask about the specific way. Of course, the question of money should be limited to a certain range as much as possible. Nicholas II was also a little worried. Hokkaido, the Russians have coveted it for a long time, but all the same, the Russians don't want to give too much!

Today's double watch, even if you vote for some recommendations~~~~~ (Your support is my biggest motivation.) )